“Alrighty then. Let’s get this going!” she chirped, just wanting to have something to do with her hands more than anything else. Unlike her three friends, who were all in the public eye in one way or another, Amanda was certainly not used to being the center of attention in a big crowd of people. Although she was enjoying it to a certain extent, she was also discovering that it was way outside of her comfort zone, and she wanted to move this whole production along as quickly as possible.
If Amanda's goal was to keep the gift-opening process low-key, then the first present she opened was certainly a step backwards in that respect. She peeled away the paper, opened up the box, and pulled out the tiniest and most scandalous set of lingerie she had ever seen in her entire life.
The room erupted in wolf whistles and catcalls, evolving eventually into one big cheer. Amanda could tell by the temperature of her face that she must be blushing up a storm.
“Oh my word!” she exclaimed, her palms flying to her cheeks. “Who in the world is this from?”
Amanda rooted around in the wrapping paper to try to find the card, but it had already been taken by Nikki, who was in charge of keeping a list of all the gifts and their givers so that Amanda could send out thank you cards at a later date.
“Let's just take a look now, shall we?” Nikki said, a naughty twinkle in her eye as she turned over the card. A gasp and then a full-throated laugh escaped from her mouth as she read the name on the card. “Oh my word! Renata!”
Karina gasped and then laughed as well, mirroring Nikki's reaction. “Way to go, Grandmother!” she chuckled, giving the older woman's shoulders a squeeze.
Karina's grandmother was unfazed. “Eventually things will get a little boring,” she shrugged, unaffected. “That is to make them interesting again.”
“That’s more than I needed to know,” Karina said matter-of-factly.
“Thank you,” Amanda managed to choke out. “I love it.”
She could still feel her face burning, and she felt nothing so much as fear as she reached for the next gift. Good Lord! If that was what only the first one was like, what were the rest going to bring?
Trepidation making her fingers tremble, she slowly pulled at the ribbon that stretched around the next box and then pulled off the paper.
Phew! A pressure cooker. Nothing embarrassing. She grinned, looking at the card. “Thanks, Sue Ann! I love it! But you didn't have to! Hosting was gift enough.”
“Oh, nonsense,” Sue Ann deflected with a wave of her hand. “Now you just make sure that you don't use that thing so much that you and Justin never come in to see me, you hear?”
“Never!” Amanda agreed happily.
As Amanda unwrapped the rest of the gifts one by one, marveling at the beauty of some, laughing at the audacity of others, she reflected that tomorrow, in just twenty-four hours time, she would be getting married. Really and truly getting married, in front of God and all these witnesses, to her one true love.
She shivered with excitement.
She absolutely couldn't wait.
Chapter Nine
The Not-A-Bachelor Party
Justin
Justin pulled his garment bag from the backseat and started up the path to Jake and Eric's place. He couldn't believe he was really getting married tomorrow. He was staying with Jake and Eric tonight so he wouldn't “jinx it” (Amanda's words) by seeing her before the wedding. He smiled. He'd give her that. He'd stay away tonight if that's how she wanted it. As long as he knew it would be the last night of their lives that they'd ever have to spend apart.
He was glad that Jake and Eric, two of his groomsmen and good friends of his since elementary school, had really seemed to understand and be on board when he had explained his desire to have a low-key evening and just get some rest tonight. He had expected them to put up some resistance to the idea, but they had readily agreed. Which was awesome. It was his wedding, and they were respecting his wishes.
It had just been so much easier than he had expected it to be…
As Justin slipped the key Eric had given him into the lock and opened the door, he noticed that the house seemed dark and unoccupied. That was odd. It was almost ten o'clock at night, so it seemed strange that neither Jake nor Eric would be home yet.
Justin shut the door behind him and hung his bag on the coat rack in the entryway, flipping on the light as he stepped into the living room.
To his shock, about twenty guys jumped out from various hiding places, combining all of their deep baritone voices into one collective roar of “Surprise!”
Justin thought he might have a heart attack.
Jake and Eric jogged over to him and they each clapped him on one shoulder.
“Hey, man,” said Eric jovially. “You didn't think we were going to let you get away with that 'go to bed early and rest' crap, did you?”
“Hell, no!” Jake added. “This is your last night of freedom, my man! No way we weren't gonna throw you a bachelor party!”
Justin shook his head. He should have known. He could kiss a good night's sleep goodbye. Still. Hanging out with all of his friends wasn't a bad way to spend his last night as a single man.
Justin smiled at the crowd good-naturedly. “All right,” he agreed. “So long as it doesn't get too out of hand.”
“Not happening,” Ryan put in. “My lady wouldn't be too happy with anything that went too far out of bounds.”
“Same here,” Luke agreed.
“Justin, were you surprised?” Justin heard a small voice pipe up and turned to see his nine-year-old little brother, Noah, standing beside him.
Justin raised his eyebrows at Jake and Eric, and Jake jumped in hurriedly. “No worries, no worries, my man. All of the evening's entertainment is perfectly appropriate for, shall we say, all audiences.”
“Yeah, in fact,” Eric pointed out, patting Noah on the back, “little dude helped us plan the party. We couldn't have done it without him.”
Justin smiled down at his little brother. “Dude, you knew about this and didn’t tell me?” he asked, impressed.
“Yep,” Noah confirmed, beaming with pride.
Justin gave his brother a big hug, his heart swelling with love. Justin hadn't even known he had a brother until he had come home last year. He and his father, Rick, had a very complicated relationship, as Rick was a neglectful alcoholic through Justin's entire childhood, and Justin had not contacted him at all while he'd been away from Hope Falls those ten years.
When Justin came back for Parker's funeral, he had been surprised, not only by Noah's existence, but also by the way his father had pulled his life together. Justin and Rick still were not what Justin would call 'close,' but Justin was happy to say that he honestly felt affection for his father now, and they were currently on better terms than they had ever been during Justin's lifetime.
“So, is Dad here?” Justin asked Noah.
Noah shook his head. “Nah. He said he'd let the young guys have fun. He said he wanted to be rested for tomorrow.”
Justin looked at Jake and Eric. “What a novel concept,” he said dryly.
The brothers laughed. “Overrated!” they agreed.
Justin had to smile. What the hell. It may not have been the way he would have chosen to spend his night, but it was pretty damn awesome that he had friends who cared about him enough to go out of their way to plan something behind his back. He was here with his friends, he was here with his brother, and he was getting married in—he glanced at his watch—a little over twelve hours.
Life was good.
Chapter Ten
The Bachelorette Party
Amanda
Amanda set down her wine glass and looked around affectionately at the ladies currently lounging around on her couch, each with a glass of wine of her own in their hand. Karina, Sam, Lauren, Amy, and Nikki. Each of them so unique, so special, so wonderful in her own way. Amanda felt tears welling in her eyes.
“Oh, no, girls!” Karina cried. “The bride-to-b
e is getting all misty! I think it's time to dial this party up a notch so we don't get mired down in nostalgia!”
“Well,” Lauren said pragmatically, “while I agree with you in principal, we already agreed that this wasn't going to be one of those wild bachelorette parties with male strippers and such. We have nothing lined up. I don't know what notch we might dial it up to.”
“We could ask Kyle Austen Reed to come over,” Sam interjected helpfully. “You know he studied stripping techniques for his role as a male stripper in On The Pole.”
“Oh, God, no one wants to see that!” Karina cried in horror.
“Speak for yourself, honey bunches of oats,” Nikki laughed. “I sure wouldn't mind.”
“I admit, even I would be interested,” Amy confessed, executing her signature push-her-glasses-farther-up-on-her-nose maneuver.
“Well, keep dreaming. It’s not going to happen,” Karina said firmly.
“Ooohhh!” Sam exclaimed, clapping her hands together in front of her. “We could play Truth or Dare!”
“Now you're onto something,” Lauren agreed.
“No,” Amanda protested. “Not onto something. That doesn't sound like fun.”
“Hmmm…” said Karina suspiciously. “Does this mean that the bride-to-be has some skeletons in her closet? Little tidbits she'd like to hide?”
“Not at all,” Amanda said with dignity, drawing herself up straighter on the couch. “I just feel like Truth or Dare makes people uncomfortable. Like the whole point of it is to make people uncomfortable. That's not how I want to spend the night before my wedding.”
“I feel I must agree with Amanda here,” Amy concurred. “I'm not a fan of Truth or Dare myself.”
“Oooo lala, little sister,” Nikki crowed. “Maybe this means our local elementary school teacher actually has some juicy secrets.”
Amy blushed but did not respond.
Karina grinned. “Feel free to deny it any time, Ames.”
In a move Amanda thought was significant, all Amy would give them was a mysterious smile.
“Okay then, how about this?” Sam proposed. “Let's play a drinking game! Every time a certain thing happens, you have to take a shot—that kind of thing.”
“Okay,” Amanda agreed. “That sounds like fun actually. But just remember—it's the night before my wedding. We can't get completely trashed. Buzzed, not drunk, ladies. That's the buzzword.”
She paused and then smiled.
“Pun intended!”
Chapter Eleven
The Middle of the Night
Justin
Justin snapped awake to the insistent chiming of his cell phone's text message indicator.
He lay still for a moment, trying to process, trying to figure out where he was…when it was.
Suddenly, it all came rushing back to him. It was the night before his wedding, and he was in Jake and Eric's guest room. What time was it?
He grabbed his cell phone up, squinting his eyes to read the time indicator in the iridescent glow. 3:40 in the morning! God! Who would be texting him at this time of night—on the night before his wedding?
He swiped frantically at his phone, trying to get to his text messages as quickly as possible, but his fingers were still clumsy with sleep. When he finally managed to access his text messages, he saw that it was Amanda who had been attempting to contact him.
Shit! What had happened? What was wrong? Justin felt his heart pounding faster and faster.
What did the text say? He struggled to read through his mounting panic.
Come see me.
Well, that was vague.
His thumbs flew and he replied.
What's wrong?
Her response was immediate.
Nothing. Come seeeee me.
Where are you?
Outside.
Outside? Where? What do u mean? In the woods?
Outside Jake and Eric's.
What?!
Come out.
Justin threw his clothes on and raced outside as quickly as he could while still being quiet enough to avoid waking the guys.
He pushed through the front door and saw Amanda standing in the middle of the front yard, staring intently at her phone.
“Amanda?” he whispered loudly, hoping to get her attention without waking anyone else up.
Amanda raised the phone to her ear happily. “Hullooo?” she slurred.
What the hell?!
He ran over and grabbed her arm.
“Mand, I'm right here,” he clarified.
She looked up.
“Justin!” she yelled.
“Sshhh...” he whispered. “Everybody's asleep.”
“Ooookkkaaayyyy…” she whispered, drawing it out. “I'l be vewy, vewy quiet. We're hunting wabbits…”
Justin scrunched his forehead, confused. Then he broke out in a wide smile. “Are you drunk?” he whispered amusedly.
Amanda held up her thumb and forefinger, mere millimeters apart. “A leeetle,” she admitted sheepishly.
Justin glanced around, looking for a place to get her out of the chilly night air. He didn't want to bring her into the house with all of the guys. She could certainly not be relied upon to remain quiet in her state. She'd likely wake everybody up, and—with this being Hope Falls—everyone would know about this by morning. She'd never live it down.
Gotta love small towns.
Ah! There. They could duck into his car. He felt around in his pocket. Perfect. He had his keys.
“Come on, baby,” he urged, steering her across the lawn as he clicked the button to unlock the car doors. “Let's get in my car.”
“Ooooo, yeah,” she purred. “Let's do it in your car!”
He laughed under his breath.
“I don't think so, baby,” he said in an amused tone as he tucked her into the front seat. He shut the door and ran around to the driver's side, hopping into the car himself.
“How did you get over here?” he asked in amazement. He hoped to God that she hadn't driven.
“Walked!” she exclaimed proudly, tapping his nose with her index finger as if it were a button she was pushing.
He shook his head. “Amanda, that's more than a mile!” he admonished.
“Thass how much I wanted to see you!” she slurred emphatically.
He shook his head. “Well, I'm gonna get you home. I'm actually surprised that you were able to escape on Lauren's watch.”
“I wanted to seeeee you,” she re-emphasized.
“Well, now you've seen me, baby. And now I'm gonna get you home,” he said firmly.
“No!” she pouted, and then her face brightened. “How about just a Handy J?”
Forgetting the fact that he was trying to be quiet in the shock her statement caused, he burst out laughing. “How do you even know the phrase Handy J?” he asked through his laughter.
Amanda adopted an expression that he supposed was meant to be seductive, but it ended up looking more like 'drugged out' in her current intoxicated state.
“I know sssoooo much stuff, Justin,” she said slinkily. “Things you would never guess I know.” Her face suddenly hardened in determination. “Isss not gonna get boring,” she insisted.
He was puzzled. “Boring? Who said anything about it getting boring?”
“Renata,” she admitted glumly. “She gave me the slutty clothes so I won't be boring.”
Justin shook his head to clear it. This was like the Twilight Zone, and he couldn't decipher what was happening.
“Look”—he turned in his seat to face her—“I have no idea what you're talking about, or what it all means. I don't even know if you're going to remember this in the morning. But listen to me, Amanda, because I'm dead serious and you need to hear what I'm about to say.”
She nodded solemnly, looking him straight in the face, and he was encouraged by her level of focus and attention.
“Are you listening?” he asked, just to verify.
“Your eyebrows are hannnsome,
” she responded gravely.
Okay, that’ll work.
“You, Amanda Jacobs, are not now, nor could you ever in the future, be boring to me. Do you understand that? You are the most amazing, most fascinating, and sexiest woman I have ever met. And I sure as hell don't see that changing anytime soon. Got it?”
She nodded seriously, and Justin thought he may have just gotten though to her.
Better make sure.
“What do you think about that?” he queried.
She yawned and leaned her head back on the headrest as she closed her eyes.
“You talk a lot…” she mumbled. Then she started to snore.
He shook his head and chuckled.
What the hell. Good enough for him.
Chapter Twelve
The Wedding
Amanda
Amanda sat on a satin-tufted stool in one of the back rooms of the Community Center theater that had been made over into a bridal suite for her and her bridesmaids to get ready in. She marveled at the work that Kyle Austen Reed's contacts had done. If she didn't know for a fact where she was, she never would have believed it. The interior of the theater was the same way. She had taken a peek earlier and been extremely pleasantly surprised.
There were fresh arrangements of flowers on every available flat surface, every single seat in the theater was covered in pristine white satin, and the walls were banked with sprays of lush fabrics and flowers. Best of all, on the stage had been constructed the most beautiful archway, which was woven with pine sprigs and more flowers. The entire space looked like the most magical combination of formal wedding and natural wonderland.
It was exactly what Amanda would've wanted if she'd been given a choice between every single kind of decor in the world. Yet it was so much more beautiful than anything she could have ever dreamed up on her own. She was stunned.
She had not personally had an opportunity to go over to the gymnasium at the high school yet to see what sort of spell had been cast over that space to turn it into an elegant reception hall, but Lauren had been over there and she’d told Amanda that it was absolutely stunning. She even got tears in her eyes when she said it, and it took a lot to get Lauren to the point where she was choked up. Amanda couldn't wait to see it after the ceremony was over.
One Sweet Day (A Happily Ever After Novella) Hope Falls Edition Page 5
